Received December 2, 2018; Revised January 23, 2019; Accepted January 23, 2019.

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Abstract

Background:

This study examined the effect of feedback manipulation on anticipatory anxiety, perceived others’ expectations, and social ability insocially anxious individuals.

Methods:

One hundred individuals with high social anxiety and one hundred individuals with low social anxiety screened by Social Phobia Scale (SPS) were randomly assigned to four feedback conditions (i.e., the positive feedback condition, the non-negative feedback condition, the negative feedback condition, and the non-positive feedback condition).

Results:

In the two positive feedback conditions (i.e., the positive feedback condition and the non-negative feedback condition), following feedback manipulation, participants experienced increased perceived others’ expectations, increased perceived social ability, and reduced anticipatory anxiety regardless of participants groups. In the two negative feedback conditions (i.e., the negative feedback condition and the non-positive feedback condition), following feedback manipulation, participants experienced reduced perceived others’ expectations, unvarying anticipatory anxiety, and unvarying social ability. Individuals with high social anxiety rated feedback acception in the two negative feedback conditions higher than in the two positive feedback conditions.

Conclusions:

The clinical implications and limitations of the present study were discussed.